Earth's Child
by mgeloise
Summary: Set 3 years after the 4th Great Shinobi War, Gaara finds a young girl in the middle of a sandstorm. With no family and no records of her existing in Sunagakure, her troubled past begins to unravel, putting both her and Gaara in grave danger. Rated T just to be safe, no pairings (yet). This is my first published fanfiction :)
1. The Storm

Writer's note – Hello, all! Thank you for clicking on this fanfiction. This is the first time I am publishing anything I write on an actual website. I've done plenty of roleplaying on various websites over the last several years and I figured I might as well post some of the stories that are constantly rolling around in my head.

I do want to put a disclaimer on here that I do not own or take credit for any of the names and places belonging to Kishimoto and the Naruto franchise. With that being said, please enjoy!

It was late in the evening in the village of Sunagakure and darker than usual. A wall of sand blew through the streets, engulfing the village in a whirlwind of stinging sand. Shops were closed early and families were tucked safely away in their homes.

Gaara watched the sand move violently around the buildings, making it nearly impossible to see. He had finished his work for the day and was wise to stay in the Kazekage tower until the sandstorm passed. Quietly he sighed to himself, resting his arms against the window sill. It was almost relaxing hearing the wind whistle around the large sphere of a building. The halls were quiet except for the occasional passerby and the ticking of the clock. He was just about to turn back to his work until he saw it.

Something, or someone, was out in the sandstorm. The small figure was vague and hard to make out, Gaara even thought that he had made the image up. But it kept getting closer to the tower, very slowly inching its way through the storm.

Quickly, Gaara pushed in his office chair and made his way out of the office. He made his way down to the bottom floor, dismissing anyone who tried to stop him. Who would be out in the middle of this storm? He thought to himself, wanting to get an answer. The secretary usually at the front desk of the tower had gone home for the day before the storm hit and the only people in the reception were some chunin he placed there to guard the entrance.

He hesitated at the door, barely able to see past the decorative plants right in front of the windows. He formed a shield around him with his dense sand, leaving enough of a gap to see through the front

"Lord kazekage," one of the chunin called, concerned for Gaara's safety. Gaara stuck a polite hand up and gave him a reassuring nod before opening the door and stepping out of the building. The only sound you could was the scream of the wind and the shifting of sand. He slowly continued forward, taking his steps carefully and surveying the area. After a few minutes, he caught sight of a figure lying on the ground. He stooped down and examined the form his shield casting over whoever it was to protect them from the storm.

It was a child. A girl no older than academy age. Quickly, Gaara scooped the small child into his arms, noting how light she was. Her clothes and visible skin were coated with a thick layer of sand and she was unconscious. Entering the building, his sand shield dropped and he swiftly cleared the reception counter and laid the child on it. Both chunin hurried to his side, both in shock at the sight in front of them.

"who is she?" the female chunin asked.

"That, I am unsure of," Gaara said, beginning to check the child's vitals. To his relief she had a heartbeat, but her breathing was shallow, possibly from inhaling the dry sand. Using his jutsu, he slowly hovered a hand over her, removing the sand from her skin and clothes. Under the thick sand, the girl had striking features. She was pale like moonlight, as if she had never been outside in her entire life. She had bags under her eyes and she looked horrifically bruised and dehydrated. Her long hair was the color of citrus, orange and bright against her sickly features.

Very carefully, Gaara opened her jaw, lifting the sand from her mouth and throat.

The girl began to cough violently once the sand was removed and she whimpered, opening her teary red eyes.

"H..Help..." She begged.


	2. The Awakening

Author Note: one fav already! How awesome! :) I have big plans for this story, and hopefully my creative juices keep flowing. Does anyone else find that there's only specific times they feel motivated to write? I always write in the middle of the night, save as a draft and then edit it in the morning before I post (roleplaying and general writing). Anyway, enjoy chapter 2!

It had been two days the child was found by Gaara in the storm. Everything had gone back into its regular order for the village, but not for the Kazekage. He visited the hospital during visiting hours to get updates on the girl and her identity. She had been out cold since she fell unconscious after pleading for help a couple of days ago. Although the hospital did extensive blood, dental and birth record checks, no one seemed to know just who this little girl was.

The most they had been able to find out was that she was around 10 years old, malnourished and severely dehydrated. Gaara had even asked for every teacher at the academy and every daycare teacher in the village to come and identify the girl, but no one had even seen a child like her before.

There was something about the girl the kept Gaara's mind busy, even when there was important paperwork to complete.

'How can no one recognize her?' he pondered. His hands were folded in front of his mouth, his elbows rested on the desk in front of him. 'Why did she go into the storm? If she wasn't born here, then how did she make it through the village gates?' For a moment, Gaara began to question the security of the village he swore to protect.

With and exasperated sigh, he shook the thoughts from his head and stood up, pushing in his chair. He picked up his lunch from his desk drawer, which was wrapped in a cloth napkin. Temari had always done that at home for Kankuro and Gaara, and even though she was married to the Nara boy in Konoha, he couldn't help but do the same to his own lunch. It made him feel closer to his siblings, even if they weren't by his side.

"Good morning, Kazekage-sama," the receptionist greeted when Gaara made an appearance on the bottom floor. She was older, with graying hair and wrinkles around her mouth and eyes. She was always very friendly to anyone who walked by her and she had also been the receptionist for the former Kazekage.

"Good morning, Riku," Gaara replied, giving her one of his faint smiles.

"Are you going to go check up on the girl, sir?" Everyone in the building knew about the incident with the little girl. They had all taken turns on trying to identify her as well.

"Yes," the kazekage replied. "I'm hoping they have more information about her today. Or perhaps she has woken up. Keep up the good work, Riku." He gave her a nod before leaving out the front doors of the building. He made his way to the hospital, several villagers greeting him and asking him about the state of the orange haired girl at the hospital.

'The village seems quite taken with the girl,' he thought to himself. A small smile curled on his lips because of the kindness his people had for one another.

Once there, he entered and approached the nurse at the front desk. The nurse gave Gaara a bow before unlocking and opening the entrance to the main hospital rooms. The staff were becoming accustomed to his frequent visits. With a quick thanks, the Kazekage swiftly made his way to the third floor where the head nurse was filing some paperwork.

"Ah, good afternoon," she said. "I'm sorry, Kazekage-sama, but we've had no break throughs." Gaara's stomach flipped slightly, disheartened by the news. "She is, however, hydrated enough to have her IV drip removed as soon as she wakes and her injuries are nearly invisible now."

"I see..." Gaara said, his mind mulling over the nurses words. "May I go see her?'

"Of course."

Gaara gave her a nod of thanks before entering the girl's room. Outside the door, was a name plate with "Hana" written on it. The nurses referred to her with this nickname because of the desert flower that bloomed bright orange on the west side of the village. Inside the room, the pale gray curtains swayed gently in the breeze. The girl laid in the large bed, which made her look even smaller than before. A few of the nurses had left a teddy bear, some flowers and some kind letters on the bedside table, once again making Gaara's heart swell with pride for his people.

The girl looked peaceful and clean. She wore a standard white gown, her hair in a plait that laid to the side of her head. The blankets covered her legs, but her arms were still visible with bandages on one arm and an IV in the other. A breathing mask fit securely over her face and her heart monitor was beating at a steady pace. Gaara took a seat at the hospital chair close to the bed and he looked over her slowly, pondering.

"Who are you..." He said quietly, pulling the blankets up a bit more in case she was cold. He stayed for a few minutes, secretly hoping that she would wake up, happily explain where her parents were and go on to live a healthy life with her family. However, his fantasy didn't seem to be anywhere close to happening. With a discontented sigh, Gaara stood and collected his untouched lunch.

On his way towards the door, the heart monitor began to pick up and there was a quiet whimper from behind him. He turned on his heel and watched with wide eyes as the girl awoke, squirming and squinting at the bright hospital lights. Being careful not to drop his lunch, Gaara set it down and hurried to the girl.

"Be careful," he said, trying to be as gentle as possible. "you're safe."

The girl blinked a few times before opening her eyes wide to look up at him. Her eyes were pale, gray with light blue along the edge of the pupils. Tears began to well up, terrified at her new surroundings and the needle in her arm. Her heart monitor picked up once more and she began to heave panic breaths . Her bandaged hand reached over to her arm, ready to pull the needle out of fear, but Gaara had already grabbed her hand to keep her from doing something dangerous.

"s-stop!" She wailed, weakly pulling her bandaged arm to set it free.

"Child, please calm down," Gaara said, more sternly this time with a furrowed brow. Gaara was more frightened and concerned by the girl's outburst than angry. The three nurses on duty on that floor dashed into the room and surrounded the bed, trying to calm the girl down. The girl only looked more bewildered and struggled. Her wails echoed down the hallway. The head nurse came in, coming up to her and placing her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"You're safe here," the head nurse said calmly, being as gentle as possible. "This man here saved you. You could have died out there." With that, the girl fell silent, her eyes flickering over to the red haired man next to her. "now let me take that pesky needle out-"

"No!" The girl cried. "It's going to hurt...please….I don't want to hurt again." Gaara could see the nurse's heart sink. He empathized with the girl.

"Please," he pleaded. "could you tell me your name? Where are your parents?" The girl looked back over to him, tears trickling down her flushed cheeks.

"M-my name..." she began quietly. "My name is Kitsumi...Kitsumi Owagari…" Her eyes shifted back to her arm to see the IV had already be disconnected and the nurse was working on bandaging her up. Immediately there was calm in the room as she relaxed, giving Gaara relief.

Kitsumi kept her eyes down, quiet tears leaving her now bloodshot eyes. "M-my parents…" she sniffled. "I don't have parents..."

'she needs to rest,' Gaara told himself. 'Whatever happened to her was taumatic, I shouldn't press the issue.' With that, he stood up to leave.

"You should rest now," he said to Kitsumi. "You've been through a lot. I'll be by tomorrow if you need to talk about anything." Kitsumi looked up at him for a quick second before dropping her eyes again and giving a small nod. Gaara gave her a nod back, turning to leave. Today was an exhausting day for the Kazekage and it wasn't even time for dinner.

As he was about to close the door behind him, her quiet voice whispered "Thank you."


	3. The Connection

Author's note: woo hoo! Another favorite! You guys are so sweet :)

I'm trying my best to keep Gaara in character and not get too OOC, so if I kind of sway between being in character and ooc, please forgive me! Also, this chapter did not get edited because I got SUPER busy so also please forgive any errors D:

The next day at the hospital, Kitsumi woke to the sun shining into her room. She had one of the bears a nurse gave her wrapped in her arms and she could feel herself starting to feel much better.

"Good morning, Hana," one of the nurses chirped as she walked in. "Or, Kitsumi." She gave a small giggle.

"Kitsumi is fine..." the girl said, almost blushing at how nice everyone has been. Biting her lip, Kitsumi couldn't help but ask questions. "Where am I? Is that man coming back today?"

The nurse blinked a few times. "You don't know where you are? Have you heard of Sunagakure?" Kitsumi shook her head. "Hmm...I think that's something the Kazekage should handle. He should be back soon."

The fire haired girl nodded, her mind trying to piece together any memories in which this strange village was mentioned. 'How far did I walk….from that place….' she asked herself. She climbed out of bed once the nurse left and lifted herself into the round windowsill. Her pale eyes gazed over the sandy village, the rounded buildings, the bustling market place down below. She saw kids her age, playing games or causing mischief and she envied them in a way.

"Kitsumi," a low voice called from behind her. She whipped her head over to face the owner of the voice. The red haired man was there, wearing blue and white robes. He looked important, like a leader of some sorts. 'Perhaps that's what a kazekage is?' Kitsumi wondered. "I'm glad you're awake and feeling better.

"Hi..." she said, her vocie shy. Carefully she climbed down from the windowsill and made her way over to the bed, sitting on the edge. Gaara took his place in the chair in front of her. "Where am I?"

"You're in the village of Sunagakure, the village hidden in the sand," He replied. His teal eyes were gentle as he assessed her, taking note in how much healthier she looked now. "Where have you come from? None of the teachers at the academy nor any parent has been able to identify you." Kitsumi's eyes lowered and she stared at the floor.

"I'm...I'm from far away...I think," her voice was quieter now. "I come from an oasis. I thought we were the only ones in that whole desert..."

"We?"

"The people...the people I live with," Her brow furrowed. "Or...lived with."

"Do you have any names we could use to find out where your family is?" Gaara asked, hoping to finally find some closure to this situation.

"No!" Kitsumi cried, taking Gaara aback from the sudden outburst. "Please…I don't want to find them again. I don't want to be there."

Gaara remained stone faced, but inside he was sympathetic. "Kitsumi, we need to make sure you get back to where you belong safely."

"You don't understand," Her voice cracked, angry tears beginning to fall. Her heart ached with a desperation and she held a hand over it, clutching at her hospital gown. "You don't understand what it's like to have everyone hate you. I'm a monster, no one wants me there." Gaara passed her a tissue from the box next to him. Although he has always been a rock of a man, growing older and being free of Shukaku has made him experience more emotions than he used to. He could feel his heart ache with her, knowing all too well what it's like to have every person around you hate you.

"You're not alone," he said, his voice quieter. "I was the same way your age." Kitsumi looked shocked as she wiped the tears from her flushed face. "This village, the people here, they all used to hate me. However, when I met my closest friend, my whole life changed." He gave a small smile. "I'm their leader now, the one appointed to protect them at all cost." Kitsumi was stunned. This man in front of her, the one who saved her, was once hated?

"You…they hated you? Why?"

Gaara crossed his arms, closed his eyes and began to tell her his story. He didn't leave out any details, knowing it was important for Kitsumi to understand that he to was once despised. "...and some time later, I was no longer a junchiriki to them, but a leader." his teal eyes opened and saw that the girl was entranced by the story, her mouth opened partially in shock. She could sense a connection with Gaara now and felt more at ease around him. Someone else had dealt with the same thing she was going through. Gaara waited patiently for her to tell her story, knowing that this must be a lot for her to take in.

After several minutes of silence, Kitsumi held the stuffed bear from her bed and began to fiddle with its ears. "Well..." She began hesitantly. "I never had a mom...everyone told me I killed her. My father is a leader in our clan and was devastated." She bit her lip. "They didn't start hating me until I was a little older. I got really upset when my father was yelling at me and the next thing I knew, our house was destroyed and I was laying in the middle of what used to be our house. Everyone refused to talk to me and no one told me what happened. My father tried to..." Kitsumi's breathing became shaky. "My father tried to kill me because of what ever had happened and I...I ran..."

Gaara had been listening carefully, letting her speak at her own pace. He crossed his arms and gave a small "hmph" as he processed. "What do you say you stay here in this village while I take care of business with your clan? You wouldn't have to talk to them or see them, I will take care of everything." Kitsumi's stomach did flips and her heart began to race.

"You would really let me stay here?" she aksed, shocked at Gaara's kindness.

"Of course," the kazekage replied. "and I promise I will never let them hurt you. While you're here in the village, you're one of us." He gave her a wider smile.

Kitsumi hopped off the bed and much to Gaara's surprise, wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug. Not used to these kinds of actions from people other than his siblings, he held her in the hug.

'I won't let them hurt you'


	4. The Dream

Author note: Thank you so much to those of you who are still reading :) I'm going to start focusing more on Kitsumi so I can delve into her story some more. Enjoy!

Kitsumi snuggled down into her hospital bed after the nurse turned out the lights and left. This was her first night since waking up in Sunagakure. The window was securely shut to keep out the chill of the night's wind. Growing up in the desert, she knew how the weather was like; searing hot in the day time and frigid in the night. She was very grateful to have the extra blanket to cover her. Slowly, her gray eyes began to grow heavy and sleep came over her. She began to dream vividly.

She was shorter in her dream and younger. She wore a blue kimono and a green obi around her waist and her hair was pinned back. She recognized the place she was in. It was her old house, the one the was destroyed before she ran. The floors and walls were pristine and untouched from grime or dirt. Just like her father liked it. She made her way through the halls, the mansion looking much bigger in the dream than she remembered. It was quiet and her footsteps echoed off the well decorated walls.

After a while of wandering in the maze of a house, she reached the front door. She stuck her short arms out and pushed with a grunt, opening the door to reveal a bright and colorful festival. Everyone from her clan and small village was attending, her neighbor's kids were watching the frogs in the town's fountain hop around. Standing at the foot of the cobblestone walkway was her father and a woman, their backs to her watching the festivities.

Very slowly, Kitsumi approached her father and the mysterious woman. Even from behind, she felt that she knew this woman, but it wasn't until the two both turned to face her did she realize who it was. Her mother, a petite woman, was dressed in an ornate kimono, her strawberry hair clipped back with a jeweled barrette, a few strands framing her face. Her face was beautiful and delicate and her eyes were the same gray as Kitsumi's. They sparkled like expensive gems.

"Kitsumi..." her mother said, her voice ringing in her ears. It was like the sound of a sweet wind chime.

"M-mother…?" Kitsumi stammered, her eyes round in awe at the woman before her. The woman looked almost sad and before saying another word, she began to make her way through the crowd. "W...wait! Mother!" the citrus haired girl gathered the bottom of her kimono to walk easier and ran after her mother. She was remarkably fast despite walking so casually. Kitsumi was running as far as her tiny legs could carry her. Disappearing around the corner of a shop building, Kitsumi followed the figure of her mother. She was immediately met with her father, with her mother no where to be seen.

"Where did she go?" The little girl cried, searching around the area to see if her mother was hiding. Her father reached down and squeezed her shoulders until they hurt.

"She's not here!" Her father bellowed. "You took her from me!" Tears stung the girl's eyes and she began to panic. Before she could blink, she was tossed onto the ground. Suddenly, everything began to rumble around her, like an earthquake. She looked up and the whole town was surrounding her, screaming and pointing at her with hate. The rumbling was so loud she couldn't hear what they were saying.

The ground beneath the little girl cracked and crumbled, eventually caving in and causing her to fall into a deep, black hole. She fell screaming and sobbing, the people above her looking into the hole growing distant as she continued to fall.

Without warning, Kitsumi woke up, screaming and drenched in sweat. Her breathing was ragged and she was shaken to her core. She kept her face in her hands, wiping away the tears and sweat from her warm face. She gained more control over herself before finally opening her eyes and lifting her head.

There in front of her were four silhouettes of men standing around her bed. To her horror, one put a hand over her mouth, although she was too frightened to scream.

"Make a noise and we will end you," One of the men said, his voice rough like gravel.

"We must get her back to headquarters, the leader needs to harness her power before the next full moon," Another said, his voice low and harsh.

Kitsumi began to kick and flail, but with no ninja training or even proper defensive training she was no match for the power of four ninja. One of the men reached out to her and muttered a few unintelligible words. Her body became stiff and her arms and legs rested straight like a mannequin. She was tucked underneath one of men's arms and they escaped out the window they had come in from.

She began to go through every possible outcome in her mind as to who these men were and what they wanted. She didn't recognize any of their voices nor did she recognize any physical features in the moonlight. They carried her towards the east wall of the village, the ninja usually patrolling the top knocked out and laying on the ground by their post. Panic began to engulf the small girl who felt utterly helpless. A rumbling began as they passed over the wall and into the barren desert.

Kitsumi's vision became a blur of color and her ears rang with the sound of a loud rumbling. Before she knew it, everything was black and there was no more sound.


	5. The Break in The Sand

The same night as Kitsumi's dream, Gaara was busy in his office sorting paperwork and filing important documents. He still wasn't used to sleeping at night and still managed to stay up at all hours of the day because of his early life as a junchiriki. He glanced at a nearby clock which told him it was around 4 in the morning. With a content sigh, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to clear his mind. His mind sorted through the handful of meetings and visitors he was expecting tomorrow and was thanking the heavens he had time to get a head start on work that night.

Very suddenly, a loud rumble came from the east side of the village. The ground underneath the tower shook as if an earth quake had hit the village. 'What is this?' Gaara contemplated as he jumped up and headed to the roof of the building to survey the state of the village. 'How did no one notify me of an attack?' Once on the roof, he noticed that the east wall had collapsed, destroying part of the shopping district and luckily missing a handful of apartments. Using his sand, Gaara made his way across the village. Villagers had made their way into the streets, terrified. Earthquakes didn't happen in their part of the desert.

Kankuro made his way to Gaara's side, jumping on rooftops to keep up. "Yo!" Kankuro called to his younger brother. "What's going on?"

"Either an attack from an outside invader or a force of nature," Gaara said, knowing both were plausible. Deep inside he was hoping for the latter. "When we get to the wall, direct the chunin in your command to start looking for those trapped in rubble then I need you right by my side." With a nod and a short 'hn' Kankuro and Gaara took separate turns.

At the wall, volunteers of ninja and civilians alike were sorting through the rubble or hiding in fear. There was no sign of enemy forces at the wall or in the village. A few chunin who were at the top of the wall, sprinted to Gaara once he landed at the top.

"Kazekage-sama!" One of them shouted. The stopped in front of him, panicked and breathing heavily. "Four men and a child made their way over the wall just moments before this section of the wall fell, three of them are in custody and the last one with the child are already 15 miles ahead with jonin at their feet."

"Did anyone manage to catch where they were from?" Gaara asked, keeping calm. Kidnappings and hostage situations were rare in Suna, but one of the kazekage's worst fears.

"No, but they were definitely not ninja and not from the village," The other replied, remorse pasted on his face.

"I'll get to the bottom of this," Gaara said, giving them a nod before hopping onto his sand again. He dropped some sand down to pick Kankuro up, carrying him as well on the sand. They booked it into the desert, as fast as his sand could take him. Over the dark horizon he spotted a small group of jonin collapsed on the sand. He landed and the two brothers examined them for survivors.

"What the hell happened here?" Kankuro murmured, checking the vitals of a near by ninja. They were still breathing but in critical condition based on their injuries. Whoever they were going after is incredibly strong to fend off 5 jonin.

"Whoever attacked the village is dangerous and has one of our own," Gaara said. "The chunin guarding the top of the wall said they took a child." Kankuro's brow furrowed. Gaara sent back a sand clone of himself to the village to alert medicnin. The two brothers got back on the sand and made their way towards the direction of the kidnapper. After a few minutes, they came across a huge crack in the earth the stretched for a couple miles long and a half mile wide. The bottom is not visible as it went down deep into the earth.

Once they settled on the sand next to the crevice, Kankuro kicked a dried out bush, knocking off several branches. Gaara bound the sticks together with sand and Kankuro lit the exposed brush with a match he kept handy in one of his pockets. With their makeshift torch in hand, the two began their decent into the depths. They kept a watchful eye for any thing moving and they listened for any sort of a sound that wasn't just falling sand or pebbles.

After what seemed like ages, there was a small cry. It sounded like a child's voice and it was deeper than they had yet to explore. The earth walls of the crevice began to become more narrow as they went towards the sound. "I'll stay up at the surface and keep a look out in case someone tries any funny business," Kankuro volunteered. Gaara nodded and sent his brother to the surface to wait. Gaara Went further into the earth and saw a figure half buried in sand towards the bottom. The earth was relatively flat and covered in the sand that had fallen above. He jumped, landing near the figure. When he held his torch out, Kitsumi was half in the sand he coming out of an unconscious state. Not too far from her, was the arm of a man sticking out of the sand, unmoving.

With his free hand, Gaara willed the sand around the girl to lift her out and to the free arm. He quickly floated back up to the surface, and landed next to Kankuro. The sun was beginning to rise now and he snuffed out the light of the torch. Kitsumi was awake, but groggy. However, she was uninjured and just needed a good shower.

"Is that the girl you got out of the sand storm?" Kankuro asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, Kitsumi," Gaara replied. "I don't know who these men are or why they came after her, but we're getting to the bottom of this. The accomplices are in custody as we speak." Before they made their way back to the sand, Gaara looked into the crevice with a frown. Although the captor was still down there, Gaara didn't know whether he was alive or not. The sand around the two brothers began to sink into the crevice, filling it in with dense sand.

With that, they made their way back to the village where the ninja skilled in earth style jutsu began reconstructing the broken wall. Shop owners and villagers were trying to save what they could of the destroyed buildings and such. Kankuro jumped off Gaara's sand to help as the kazekage made his way back to the hospital with Kitsumi cradled in his arms. The nurses were in a frenzy and as soon as Gaara stepped foot on Kitsumi's floor, the nurses began apologizing profusely, some even sobbing.

"Kazekage-sama, please forgive us," the head nurse begged, teary eyed. "We didn't know someone would take the girl like that."

"It's not your fault," Gaara said gently, mustering the friendliest face he could. The last thing he wanted to do was make the nurses fear him. He wasn't like that any more. "She's not injured, but will definitely appreciate a warm bath." He handed the now sleeping girl over to the head nurse and disappeared in a cloud of sand. He reappeared back in his office where a few members of the council were waiting to discuss the event with him.

"That girl needs to go," Takeshi, one of the older men on council spat angrily. "She's not from this village and we will not stand to have any more wars involving this village." The other two councilmen nodded in agreement. "Several witnesses said it was the girl herself he caused the wall to become damaged and we have the three other men being questioned."

Gaara had remained silent as they spoke, knowing it was easier for him to talk once men like the three in front of him had spoken their mind. "I can't do that, Takeshi. The girl has no where to go, no family and no idea where she came from."

"As Kazekage, you should be putting your village before an outsider," Shin said, his tone serious and dark. "She is an outsider and she is dangerous."

"Give me some time to interrogate the criminals," Gaara said, dismissing the older men. They turned and left, muttering under their breaths. Gaara sat in his office chair, sighing. What was he going to do now?


	6. The Interrogation

**Author note:** _I know I may have stopped posting for a couple of months, but I am back! I had summer college classes that I started and I am officially one month away from my wedding. Life is a bit crazy, but I'm excited to continue writing. I am also very very pleased with the outcome of the Boruto manga chapter 3 involving Gaara :D Anyway, onto the next chapter!_

The prison was built under the village when Rasa, the late Kazekage was alive. It was one of the warmest, darkest places in Suna and many of the prisoners were war criminals or members of assassin gangs who have put the life of the Kazekage at risk. No one could hear anything from the outside nor the inside, only making the large space lonelier. Gaara entered the prison from it's passage that was located in the belly of the Kazekage tower. The metal door slammed with a clank, letting out a heavy sigh as it was sealed tight. The small space he was now it was constructed of thick metal and stone with a dim light hanging from the ceiling. In front of him was an elevator with a small arrow pointing downwards. Two jonin guarded the small space.

Gaara acknowledged the guards with a nod and pressed in the button. The elevator doors creaked open and he entered the dim space. He pressed the button for the bottom floor and waited. Current interrogations were always held at the deepest level of the prison. In total, there were 5 floors. The first floor housed thieves, minor felony criminals. The second was home to kidnappers, those convicted of assault or other physical crimes. The third was for murderers, criminals waiting to be returned back to their villages to face proper trials. The fourth was for the most dangerous criminals. Terrorists, plotters of coups, war criminals, and shinobi who have been stripped of their titles.

After a short ride, the elevator moaned to a halt and the doors opened. Many ANBU worked in this particular part of the village, and the 5th floor was bustling with busy shinobi. Ever since the war, the prison has held far less criminals than before. The three men were trapped inside secluded cells, left in bright blue colored jumpsuits and an ANBU's jutsu binding them with unbreakable seals. He approached some monitors outside the cells that were showing live footage of the men in their rooms. Gaara furrowed his brow as he watched one of them sleep, and the other two scowling down at the ground.

"Kazekage-sama," a gruff voice said from behind him, breaking Gaara from his observation. The kazekage turned partially to look at the ANBU that was now next to him. "The fourth kidnapper was been pronounced dead. The medical team are doing all they can to profile him and an autopsy is being performed as we speak." Gaara nodded with a 'hn' and turned back to the monitors as the shinobi went back to work.

He turned to the female ANBU with a feline mask on. "Have any of these men talked?" He asked. Her hidden face turned to look at him and gave a quick nod.

"The man in holding cell 2 has broken his silence, but has yet to give any concrete details," She answered. Gaara looked at the monitor labeled "cell 2" and examined the man. He had mousy brown hair that was shorter in the back with longer bangs in the front. Age wise, he could be anywhere from 35 to 40 with sharp facial features. He was awake, but he definitely looked defeated.

The red head made his way over to the cell, his feet clanking along the metal floor. The ANBU behind the monitors unlocked the door to allow him to enter. Walking forward, Gaara noticed that the room was significantly brighter than most of the rooms to allow a clear image from the cameras. The man didn't look up when Gaara entered. "State your name," Gaara commanded in an authoritative voice. The deepness of his voice was enough to strike a nerve with the man.

After a deep sigh, the man looked up, his light gray eyes empty. "Hiro of the Shifting Desert," he answered. "You must be the Kazekage?" Gaara didn't answer, but instead crossed his arms in his usual fashion.

"What business do you have here in the hidden sand?"

"Couldn't you tell we were here for the girl?" Hiro spat, his face contorting with exasperation. "if that brat had just complied, we would have had her out of your hair by now."

Gaara squinted his eyes and scowled. "What business do you have stealing a child from a village you have no connection to?" He could feel his blood pressure rising. He always had a soft spot for the children in the village and a great dislike to those who hurt them.

"You're asking me such a thing when she doesn't even belong to this village," Hiro almost sounded amused. He flicked his head a little to move the hair from his eyes. "Surely you know of the large bounty on her head? Why else would you, a kage, be harboring a child such as her?" His eyes held Gaara's gaze and a smile danced on his dehydrated lips. Gaara hid his surprise well.

"We were merely keeping her safe," the kazekage said. "I am not lenient with men who prey on children. Or men who destroy what my village worked hard to construct." With that, Hiro guffawed, causing Gaara's anger to flair.

"You think WE destroyed that wall?" Hiro asked in disbelief. "You sand people must be living under a rock to not know of the child from the oasis." Sand appeared and grasped the man by the throat.

"Enough of your banter, tell me about this bounty and why you endangered my village and a child in my care," Gaara growled.

Hiro was shocked as his windpipe was being crushed. The sand released only until he was able to speak again. His voice was shaking and his gray eyes were wide with fear. "A bounty was set for a child who was born to member of the oasis council. His only child. She destroyed half of her little village and disappeared without a trace. That was a year ago. Legend has it that she has inherited a rare power that hasn't been around since the beginning of her family line...does that answer your question?"

The sand left Hiro and Gaara turned on his heel. "I'll let my ANBU handle the rest of this," Gaara said with his back turned to the criminal. "if you can't cooperate, I'll be forced to use...more dangerous methods of interrogation." With the last sentence, Gaara glared at Hiro from over his shoulder. Quickly he left, the heavy door slamming behind him as he left. The kazekage's mind was busy pondering the confession he got out of Hiro. Just how dangerous was the girl he took into his village? What would happen to her if they ejected her from the village and leave her to the elements?

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Gaara sighed as the elevator rose to the top floor. 'I can't leave a child to fend for themselves like that...' he concluded. As he exited the guarded room, several councilmen were waiting for him, arms crossed with stern expressions. Takeshi and Shin were among them. 'they couldn't wait until I got back into my office to bombard me' Gaara thought, stifling an audible sigh.

"Did you get any answers from the criminals?" Shin asked, as if he already knew about the conversation between Gaara and Hiro. "Any proof as to how dangerous the girl is?"

Gaara clenched his hands around his arms as he crossed them. Keeping his distaste for the councilmen was difficult in these situations. "There is still no clear evidence, the collapse of the wall could have very well been the men." He paused, looking to Kankuro who was behind the small crowd. "I will see to Kitsumi's care as she stays in the village. It's dangerous for children to be alone outside the safety of a village, especially untrained ones."

"But Kazekage-" Takeshi began, his nostrils flaring and face red. Gaara held up a hand to silence him.

"Takeshi-san, the girl has shown no signs of being a threat to the village or my safety. I have visited her daily since she has been in the village and she has proven herself to be safe and well-tempered." Gaara spoke firmly, making sure his unwavering gaze never left Takeshi. "To ensure the safety of our villagers and the elders, I will take on the responsibility of caring for her myself." He walked forward, spreading the crowd and motioning for Kankuro to follow him.

The kazekage spoke quietly to his brother who kept pace beside him. "You may want to make sure our living space is clean. Especially the bathroom." Kankuro could almost hear the humor in his brother's deadpan voice.

"Just because my room is a disaster, doesn't mean I let it leave my room," Kankuro retorted with an exaggerated sigh. Gaara gave one of his faint smiles before parting ways with his brother. As long as Kitsumi has somewhere to stay, he could rest easy the rest of the day.


End file.
